beach
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beach
A flat strip of land, usually sandy or pebbly, along the shore of a sea, lake, or river.
Im Sommerurlaub liegen wir am liebsten den ganzen Tag am Strand.
On summer vacation, we like best to spend the whole day lying on the beach.
'Strand' (beach) is a very productive word and forms the basis for many familiar nouns related to vacation and the sea, such as 'der Strandkorb' (beach chair), 'der Strandurlaub' (beach vacation), or 'die Strandbar' (beach bar).
Wir haben uns für den Nachmittag einen Strandkorb gemietet.
We rented a beach chair for the afternoon.
Pay attention to the preposition and case: 'am Strand' (on/at the beach, dative) describes a location, while 'an den Strand' (to the beach, accusative) expresses movement in a direction.
Wir treffen uns später am Strand.
We'll meet later at the beach.
Common activities associated with 'Strand' (beach) are 'am Strand liegen' (to lie on the beach), 'am Strand spazieren gehen' (to walk along the beach), or 'am Strand eine Sandburg bauen' (to build a sandcastle on the beach).
Die Kinder haben den ganzen Nachmittag am Strand gespielt.
The children played on the beach all afternoon.
coast
'der Strand' and 'die Küste' both have to do with land by the water. 'Strand' means the specific flat area directly by the water, often with sand or pebbles. You can lie there, swim, or go for a walk. 'Küste' means a larger strip of land where land and sea meet. It can include many beaches, towns, rocks, or harbors. Learners may confuse the words because a beach is on the coast. Memory tip: 'der Strand' is a specific place by the water; 'die Küste' is the whole area by the sea.
Am Nachmittag bauen die Kinder am Strand eine große Sandburg.
In the afternoon, the children build a large sandcastle on the beach.
Im Sommer fahren wir an die Küste und besuchen mehrere kleine Orte.
In the summer, we go to the coast and visit several small towns.